Thanksgiving Morning

through the rose arbor gate...

Before the hustle and bustle, Glen, Cotton and I took a frosty early Thanksgiving walk through our woods. We are thankful for this beautiful land and our comfy home.

Coffee in hand, we were out the door before 7:30. Grab a pumpkin spice latte and come with us...

...then through the hop arbor gate

...to the Ponderosa area

 

There's a high fog that hugs the trees; a typical maritime northwest morning in autumn.

Our lil froggy is cold sitting in a layer of ice.

 

Glen and Cotton cleaned up a little debris that fell from this last storm.

The blueberries are just starting to lose their colorful foliage. hmmm, I wonder how many bird houses we have on our three acres. I will have to do a count someday. I'm a bird person...feeders, houses and baths for the lil guys at every turn!

The hydreangeas are so pretty this year; these are dry, and kept their color nicely. Note to self: cut them, along with the bright holly, for Christmas decorating before the next storm!

Alas, it is time to go in. The parade is about to start and the turkey needs to go in the oven. I LOVE this day!

With such nice weather today, it looks like these pretty little pumpkins will be in the great pumpkin shootout this afternoon.

Making my way to the kitchen to get that turkey started, I noticed there was a pie thief!

 

This is a picture looking out my kitchen window. It's a french country kitchen filled with all sorts of things I am partial to...my retro red mixer, lighted cabinets of my Jadeite dish collection, baskets filled with cookie cutters and old mason jars with teeny tiny lights in them. It's a joy to cook in there.

I had better get that turkey ready for roasting. I am thankful to our Lord for all of the blessings that he has given me. I do not deserve them.

I hope that you have a beautiful day full of blessings, too.

 

 

Traditions: Thanksgiving with Grandma

I'm ready! Ready for the smells, sounds and warmth of Thanksgiving Day.

 

Thanksgiving reflects what I'm thankful for. First and foremost is a happy and loving family. I get to spend a day with the ones I cherish most on this earth. Most of my childhood Thanksgivings were at my Grandma Williams' home. The house was filled with aunts, uncles and cousins. Now it is in my home with my own family that God has so generously blessed me with.



 

Then, there's the food. Scrumptious and more bountiful than we need or deserve, we eat Thanksgiving dinner for days. It's always the same each year, except for the ever-changing jello salads. Why don't people serve those anymore? I have a fond memory of Aunt Evelyn's strawberry jello salad.

Our menu is probably like yours; turkey with all of the fixings. Then there are the pies, oh my! Pumpkin and pecan, at least.

 Except for the family and friends that drop in, Thanksgiving is the same each year. The parade marches through New York and our TV as I cook, board games are played, we take a crisp autumn walk after dinner and, if weather permits, grab the pumpkins throughout our home and yard for the great pumpkin shoot-out. It's a fun game that gets rid of the pumpkins so I can start decorating for Christmas...tomorrow!

A Sewing Time-Saver! (basting spray)

As a gal that never has enough time to actually make all of the projects floating around in my head, think of how excited I am when I am "forced" to create and make projects for work. I recently needed to make some projects to insert into my new book. Did I mention that I needed to make them in only two short weeks?

I've had a blast drawing, writing, painting, cutting, sewing and quilting. First, though, I needed to head to the local quilt shop for a few supplies (even though my cupboards are stuffed!) There was a 50% off sale on notions; one of them being a basting spray. I don't want to be a salesman for any brand or item, but I had to share what a time saver this was for me.

I've never been one that likes to baste. I use scores of safety pins to keep the layers of my quilts together while quilting. Many of you know what a pain that can be! I'm not a big fan of iron-on fusible web for my applique, either, although I've found it indispensable in the past.

I was skeptical of this spray. Will it gum up my needle? Is it really re-positionable? If so, is it strong enough to hold the layers until I finish my quilting? Does it really wash out? Is it hard to use?

I was pleasantly surprised that it performed all tasks like a charm. The needle didn't even know it was there. The quilts behaved as if they'd never been sprayed when the project was complete. I will be using it from now on...as long as I get coupons for it or it goes on sale, as it is spendy.

One tip that I have. If you are working on a large project (I would say larger than 36" square,) then I would spray the center of the layers and position the fabric at the center of your project, keeping the sides rolled up. Then unroll the sides and spray them one at a time as you position it, making sure all is wrinkle-free. Yes, the fabric can be completely taken up and re-positioned, but it is tacky and hard to do with large pieces.

Oh, one more tip. I bought a name brand. I didn't want to chance all of the work and expense on something I had not heard of. I'm sure there are other brands that work well, but I used "Dritz" temporary adhesive spray for bonding fabric.

The book? It is Every Quilt Has a Story, published by Harvest House Publishers. I'm excited to say it will be in shops this next year. It's a gift book about friendships and quilting, with a few fun and easy projects to make. Every page is illustrated with my watercolors. I'll tell more, with links, when it is closer to its debut!